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Sparring Partners The couple that trains together stays together. By Wong Yu Jin For this issue, I’ve decided to let someone else do the talking instead. I recently met a physically active couple that I believe epitomise the concept of a democratic relationship. Here’s their story as told by the husband who, I understand, is quite a witty writer himself. “Do you have a physical relationship? The kind where your partner beats you and enjoys doing it? My wife’s like that. She tries to beat me, but of course, I’m stronger, so I usually beat her instead.” Well, you can put your tongue back in your mouth. I’m not here to tell you that my wife and I engage in fisticuffs—far from it. We do have a physical relationship, but in a different sense. You see, my wife is very sporty; she’ll try just about any physical activity. She’s also very competitive, but in a good way, and she’ll try her best to keep up with whatever I’m doing. I recently signed up for next month’s long-distance triathlon that’ll take place in Langkawi. It involves a 3.9KM swim, an 180KM cycle and a 42KM run. Well, guess who’s watching me and watching inspiring videos of triathlon heroes with me…? Yes, my wife. It seems my efforts have inspired her to “try” a triathlon, and she’s now training for her first sprint triathlon in Port Dickson this month, and of course, using me as a measure of what to aim for. The great thing is I want to hang out with my wife; I want to do stuff with her. Marriage isn’t as “chop stamp” as it once was. The wife doesn’t stay home to cook and clean while the husband works, nor does he play snooker at the “club” while his wife throws Tupperware parties or joins a knitting circle. Goodness, if my wife were like that, I’d never have married her in the first place; that’s a recipe for terminal boredom. I guess this is a good time to formally introduce my wife. Her name is Poova, and she’s an award-winning singer songwriter with one of Malaysia’s finest voices (but I might be bias), who, instead of following the “norm” of musicians and living in the twilight hours, gets up at 5AM with me to swim, run or cycle, and has a personal trainer. We discuss training and diet, and we train together, and there’s always that competitive element between us. You see, I don’t have the problem of getting bored with my wife; I have the problem of trying to stay ahead of the game, because one fine day, she’s going to beat me and I know she’ll really relish the moment when she does. But would I ever “let” my wife beat me? No, certainly not—that would be a cop-out for her and a sell-out for me, but I’m looking forward to the day when I’m beaten, fair and square, and it’ll be a proud moment. Note: Credit to Robert Plachiak for contributing to this piece. Good luck in your Ironman, mate!